1985–1989: Formation, early years, Ignorance, and Surf Nicaragua

Sacred Reich formed at Coronado High School in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1985. The original lineup consisted of rhythm guitarist Jason Rainey, lead guitarist Jeff Martinek, bassist Mike Andre, vocalist Dan Kelly, and drummer Ray Nay. Soon after, Phil Rind replaced Andre as the bassist and Greg Hall replaced Nay on the drums, and Rind became the vocalist after Kelly became ill. After Draining You of Life's release later that year, Martinek left to join the military and the group hired guitarist Wiley Arnett as a replacement. With Arnett, they re-recorded the song "Sacred Reich" alongside a new song titled "Ignorance".

With strong support from former Flotsam and Jetsam and then-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, "Ignorance" was included on the Metal Blade Records compilation Metal Massacre VIII (1987), which brought the band outside attention. Metal Blade soon signed a record deal with them and released their debut album, Ignorance, in October of that year. Ignorance was influenced by punk rock and hardcore punk, and featured political and social commentary in their lyrics,using themes of war, racism, and political oppression among others. Ignorance was generally well received, with reviews citing its political themes and lyrics. Hit Parader said "intelligence and metal are two things not normally associated with each other, but in the case of Sacred Reich, they blend to form a powerful musical message." Kerrang! labeled the album the "best debut thrash LP this year." The band members received several offers from other bands, including Flotsam and Jetsam, Dark Angel, and Slayer.

1990–2000: The American Way, Independent, Heal, and disbanding

In 1990, Sacred Reich released their second album, The American Way. The album saw Sacred Reich progress further from their debut Ignorance, featuring less use of double bass pedals and shredding and favoring slower tracks for more diverse tempos and tone. The album peaked at No. 153 on the Billboard 200 chart on September 1, 1990, staying on the chart for nine weeks. Sacred Reich toured for nearly two years in support of The American Way, including co-headlining with Sepultura and Napalm Death on the New Titans on the Bloc tour in 1991. In 1991, the band released an EP titled A Question. Later that year, Greg Hall parted ways with Sacred Reich and was replaced by former S.A. Slayer member Dave McClain.

Sacred Reich signed with major record label Hollywood Records and released their third album, Independent, in 1993. On the album, they continued experimenting with groove metal. The album received little recognition upon release stemming from the drop in popularity of thrash metal and the gap between album releases. Dave McClain departed Sacred Reich to join Machine Head after receiving several offers from them earlier that year. Their fourth album, Heal (1996), received little to no recognition for similar reasons to their previous album Independent. Later that year, Greg Hall rejoined the band, but drummer Chuck Fitzgerald took over drumming duties for the world tour. The band released a live album, Still Ignorant, in 1997, but remained relatively inactive outside of touring. The band disbanded between 1999 and 2000.

2006–present: Reformation, Awakening, and Into the Abyss

In November 2006, Sacred Reich announced they would play several shows in Europe in the summer of 2007 including Wacken Open Air, before reforming as a live act that year. They performed at Wacken Open Air again in 2009, which was recorded and later released as a live album, Live at Wacken, in 2012. In the spring of 2017, they announced their first North American tour in 21 years, titled "30 Years of Ignorance" after the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Ignorance.